Doggie Heaven

Doggie Heaven
Doggie Heaven by Julie Pace Hoff – TCG – 500 pieces

This puzzle was bright, fun, and almost had too much cuteness! My son and I counted 45 dogs in this image (yup, he helped me finish it ❤).

I love the pooches being pampered under the hair dryers, and the dogs seem to love the kennel corn.

I really enjoyed this one! The pieces were actually thicker than other TCG puzzles I’ve done, and there were a variety of piece shapes as well. Much better quality than most other puzzles from this brand that I’ve worked.

Afternoon at the Park

Afternoon at the Park
Afternoon at the Park by Steve Read – MasterPieces – 500 pieces

Such an adorable puzzle! It’s also an image with hidden animals, some you can see in the image as it is, and some you can only see when you look at the glow in the dark image. Most of the glow was no longer visible, even after sitting it outside in the sun for about 20 minutes there was almost no glow at all. It doesn’t really matter though, it was still a cute puzzle that was entertaining to assemble.

The quality was quite good, it had an offset grid cut and pieces that were a good thickness and fit together very well. It was a bit shiny, but the image reproduction was otherwise very good. I had a great time with the assembly. 🙂

Afternoon at the Park 1

I started with the easiest pieces to find, and the gorgeous puppy.

Afternoon at the Park 2

I’m getting close to the end here, and it was a bit more difficult than I’d assumed. Difficult doesn’t mean it wasn’t enjoyable though, I like having to concentrate and focus all my attention; it’s part of what’s great about puzzling for me. It turns off my brain to almost all other thoughts and I’m only thinking about shapes and colors and what goes where. It’s almost like meditation.

Afternoon at the Park 3

The pug’s face was almost the last thing I assembled, but look how cute it is! Can you see the hidden kitty in his fur?

The House Party

The House Party
The House Party (Best of British) by Geoff Tristam – Ravensburger – 500 pieces

I’m having such a good time with these puzzles I got from the marketplace, I’m so happy we went out of our way to get them! This one was complete even though it isn’t in this picture; I found the missing piece after I had already put it away – of course. I’ve always loved Geoff Tristam’s comic style and humor, add that to the wonderful Ravensburger quality and you’ve got a great puzzle that was a joy to assemble.

The House Party 1

This joke makes me smile, it reminds me of my dad saying he couldn’t wait till the “horse’s ovaries” were served. When I was young it made no sense because I had no idea how the words were spelled, I thought dad was just trying to gross us out again. 😉

The House Party 2

Another ridiculous joke that makes me smile. American pies are way different than British ones – obviously. We normally have pies for dessert, their pies are usually the main course, made from meats, vegetables, etc. But when they say “game pie” in this puzzle they obviously didn’t mean venison – it was backgammon!

There’s something about the smaller piece count Ravensburger puzzles, they seem to be even better quality than the larger piece counts – even though they’re made from the same stuff. Perhaps it’s that the pieces are bigger and there is more area to feel the quality of the chipboard and the finish. They’re just fantastic puzzles in my book, and I’m always happy to find a Ravensburger to assemble.

 

Brown’s General Store

Brown's General Store
Brown’s General Store by Aimee Stewart – Buffalo – 500 pieces

You never can really tell until you actually assemble the puzzle – this was way more fun than it looked to me at first! I LOVED IT

The amount of fantastic detail is amazing, and there were so many words I was in heaven! Of course, I should have known, Aimee Stewart puzzles are so entertaining to assemble; I’ve never been disappointed by any of them, and have sometimes been surprised at just how much I enjoyed putting them together. 💗

 

Grandpa’s Cabin

Grandpa's Cabin
Grandpa’s Cabin by William S. Kreutz – MasterPieces – 500 pieces

I’ve had this puzzle at my house for a few months, and just wasn’t in the right mood for it when mom first found it. I finally decided to dive in, and had a great time. The artwork by William S. Kreutz made for a challenging and beautiful puzzle and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Love it when that happens!

MasterPieces random cut usually keeps things interesting, but this one was quite devious! Many times I was convinced a piece was missing, and it turned out to be 2 oddly shaped pieces in a configuration I hadn’t even considered. It certainly kept me on my toes right until the very end. This isn’t one of those puzzles where the nearer you get to the end, the faster the pieces fly into place; and I really enjoyed the challenge of it. Maybe our work on the Mystery Box Puzzle is giving me a greater appreciation for fun of conquering a complicated puzzle. 😎

I love the image, especially the characters. Grandma’s face is so sweet looking! Although if it were my family my daughter would be the one who went fishing and my sons would have stayed inside at the cabin to play video games or watch a movie. 😉

There’s something about this puzzle that makes me very happy, but I’m not sure how to articulate it. I had a wonderful time with the assembly, and just looking at the pictures brings a smile to my face.